


#22 "I can't do this without you"

by Miracles_happen



Series: Drabbles :) [3]
Category: Lunar Chronicles - Marissa Meyer
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Everyone Needs A Hug, F/M, Long-Distance Relationship, Sad, Sad with a Happy Ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-01
Updated: 2019-12-01
Packaged: 2021-02-26 04:00:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 508
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21627217
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miracles_happen/pseuds/Miracles_happen
Summary: Cinder is insecure
Relationships: Kai/Linh Cinder
Series: Drabbles :) [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1558744
Comments: 1
Kudos: 36





	#22 "I can't do this without you"

“I can’t do this without you,” Cinder whispered, staring up at the marble ceiling. The holographic image of Kai stopped fidgeting to stare at her.

“Cinder,” he started, clearly wanting to reach out and hug her as much as she wanted to hug him. Stars, she would give anything to just snuggle into his arms and forget about all the pressures she had, all the stress and guilt she had had to carry in the months since Levana’s fall.

“You got this whole royal majesty thing down; everybody adores you, you’re so put together, and you never second-guess yourself. Meanwhile I’m here, a cyborg nobody playing dress-up and probably destroying Luna by every act I make. The Commonwealth has thrived under your rule. Hell, you even got them out of Levana’s tyranny. It’s just, ugh,” Cinder pressed her palms to her eyes, “when you were here with me for those few days, everything felt so...so…”

“Calm?” Kai helped.

“Yeah,” Cinder sighed, “see, look, right there, you did it again. You help make the scrambled thoughts in my head more orderly. I just… I miss you, Kai. And I know that you can’t leave, but that doesn’t change the fact that I want you here, with me, and I know that it sounds selfish, but I do. Stars, I miss you so much.”

“I miss you, too,” Kai responded, a soft smile playing on his face. Cinder bit her lip, smiling and relishing in the fact that she had never seen him smile like that to anyone else other than her. “You’re doing great, Cinder. Look, I know that you have a lot to look up to, I am pretty great…”

“You sound like Thorne,” Cinder scoffed.

“ _But_ ,” Kai cut in, “I have been taught since basically birth on how the Commonwealth works, how it’s economy is run, the different cultures, everything I would ever need to know about being the emperor. I mean, I could barely manage to use a can-opener.”

“You did it once,” Cinder insisted.

“Yeah, after destroying 20 other cans.” Cinder giggled, causing Kai’s eyes to soften even more. “I was prepared to the maximum capacity to the emperor and still I did stupid things. I invited a known terrorist to be my guest of honor at my annual ball, lost the antidote to a huge plague in my nation, and almost ran away to Europe with a hot, random mechanic. Nobody on Earth has ever known anything about Luna and you haven’t managed to destroy the country. You have improved the lives of shells immeasurably, helped the outer sectors to have a say in the government, and helped the wolf soldiers to return to their normal lives. You are doing extraordinary, Cinder. I am so proud of you.”

If she could, Cinder would be blushing, crying, or both. Instead, she choked out three simple words. “I love you.”

Kai took a second to look shocked, then his face split into a grin wide enough to cover his whole face. “I love you, too.”


End file.
